Rhys asked Zaxx to let him know when Oliver returned and went about his daily chores, ensuring everything was in place and working correctly. Zaxx could refuel the akast engine himself, but Rhys still liked to check over it and make sure there weren’t any issues.

About an hour passed from when Rhys and Tom came back to when Oliver returned. Rhys found him in the galley with Tom, discussing the materials that the Daedalus’s crew were harvesting. Apparently, Oliver had headed to some of the nearby buildings to see if he could find anyone open to trade.

Unfortunately, they were all unwilling to even discuss the matter without approval from their captain, so Oliver had come back empty-handed and a little disappointed. When Rhys told him they were joining said captain for dinner, Oliver perked right back up and started quizzing Rhys on how Aeolus had come across in their meeting.

Rhys did his best to answer Oliver’s questions, but the meeting had been more focused on the kurador than anything else. In the end, he headed back to his cabin, leaving a disappointed Oliver to quiz Tom some more. He wanted to dig through the luggage he’d brought with him and see what he had that would be suitable for a formal dinner.

-**-

‘Rhys, a member of the Daedalus’s crew is approaching,’ Zaxx said, interrupting Rhys as he put on the nicest of the linen shirts he’d found. Clothing was expensive at the best of times, so, like most people, Rhys had a limited selection available.

It was a shame that they weren’t cultivating flax here. A cargo hold full of flax would sell nicely no matter where they went. Most spires would have someone who could process the flax into linen. They’d have to unless they wanted to buy imported clothing for a premium.

‘Thanks, Zaxx,’ Rhys said, shaking his head as he finished getting dressed and headed down to the outer hatch.

When he arrived, the hatch was already open, and Oliver was speaking with the crewman. Like Rhys, Oliver had changed from his day to day tunic to a shirt and looked ready and eager to go. Rhys stopped and started to head back when Oliver looked over and saw him.

‘Captain, that was good timing. I’ve just been told that Captain Aeolus is ready for us whenever we’re good to go. Should I go get the others?’ Oliver asked.

‘Yes, I’ll wait here,’ Rhys said, inwardly flinching about the comment on the timing. He was coming closer and closer to doing something that would cause some rather pointed questions. He needed to get this under control.

The crewman excused himself and went to wait at the base of the cradle for them, leaving Rhys to linger alone at the hatch for several minutes.

Oliver returned in short order with the other two, both of whom were wearing close to the same outfit as Oliver and Rhys. It was expensive to get something different, and in Lucy’s case, a dress was impractical onboard a cloud ship.

Oliver and Rhys had similar slight builds, but Tom and Lucy filled out their shirts more provocatively, Tom with his impressive musculature and Lucy with her impressive figure. Rhys found himself jealous of the first and acutely aware of the second.

Keeping himself in check, Rhys coughed and gestured to the hatch, ‘everyone ready to go?’

A chorus of affirmatives came back, so Rhys waved for the others to head out first and sealed the hatch behind them. He wasn’t really worried about anyone trying to get inside, but he wasn’t about to leave the hatch open either. That would just be foolish.

Taking a deep breath, Rhys followed in the wake of the others as they descended the wooden scaffolding of the cradle. It was time to get some more answers from Aeolus.

-**-

They were led through the Daedalus to a room quite similar to the one from earlier, though this one held a much large table. A single marine was waiting outside the door for them, who joined them in the room after ushering them in.

Aeolus arrived a few moments later, nodding a greeting to Rhys as he took a seat at the head of the table.

‘Thank you all for joining me. I realise how difficult the situation is currently,’ Aeolus said, waving for them to join him at the table.

‘I understand, Captain, the safety of your crew comes first, after all,’ Rhys said, taking a seat on the near side of the table so that Aeolus was on his right. Lucy joined him, sitting to his left, while Oliver and Tom sat on the opposite side.

‘Thank you for your understanding, and I do believe that an explanation was promised. With your blessing, I would get that out of the way now, before we eat.’ Aeolus said, raising a brow at Rhys, who nodded in return.

‘So, from what you said, you have no personal experience with a kurador, correct?’ Aeolus asked, pausing to get a nod from Rhys before continuing. ‘One thing that you should know about them is that they seem to be able to sense things around them. We don’t know what exactly attracts them, but we’ve learnt that they are drawn to large ships that fly past. It might follow your ship for a short while if hungry, but if the Daedalus was flying anywhere nearby, we’d definitely be attacked.’

‘I see. I understand a bit more now,’ Rhys said with a slow nod. ‘You were worried that we would draw it closer if we took off.’

‘Exactly,’ Aeolus confirmed, turning to gesture to the marine at the door before looking back to Rhys. ‘I ordered the guns manned, just in case, but as far as I’m aware, a Kurador has never attacked a ship on a spire. They seem only to target ships on the move.’

Rhys glanced over to Tom, who gave a subtle shrug in response. If Tom wasn’t sure, Rhys would just work on the assumption that Aeolus wasn’t playing them false. Rhys was annoyed about how the other captain had treated them, but other than that, Aeolus seemed a decent person.

There was a short pause as a few of the Daedalus’s crew brought in plates of food for them, setting them down on the table in front of the diners. They were served a relatively common meal, though Rhys was surprised to see it on a cloud ship, Skraa steak on a bed of roasted mushrooms and a few slices of bread on the side.

It was one of Rhys’s favourite dishes, but he’d struggled to keep any bread he bought fresh. It looked like Aeolus’s galley had space enough to make fresh bread for them, but there was no chance of the Endeavour being able to do that. Well, not as it currently stood.

Idle dreams of expanding the Endeavour into a huge cloud ship that had all the functionality he could ever want drifted through Rhys’s mind as he cut into his steak. The meat was delicious, with a full flavour that packed quite the punch. It was definitely one of the nicest meals Rhys had eaten recently.

‘So, Rhys, tell me more about the Endeavour. I’m intrigued by what you spoke of earlier,’ Aeolus asked before taking a bite of his own steak.

‘Well, what can I say. It’s an experimental version of the Loggerhead class, but I’m contracted to not go into detail. Suffice to say, it’s a low maintenance ship, so it requires only a small crew.’ Rhys said, thinking back to what he’d said earlier on to make sure that it matched up.

‘I see, that’s interesting. Do you mainly do courier work then, or does the experimental nature help with cargo movement as well?’ Aeolus sat back in his chair with a thoughtful expression.

‘Mainly small cargo and courier work, yes. What about yourself? The Daedalus is quite the ship, and I’m sure you could take on all sorts of jobs.’

‘Oh yes, we specialise in long-term gathering missions, like this one. I’ve only been into the Alliance a handful of times, so this is an interesting experience in itself.’ Aeolus gestured to the spire they were on with a wave of his hand, picking up a slice of fresh bread with the other.

‘Without wanting to intrude, what exactly are you harvesting here?’ Oliver asked, leaning forward with interest as he waited for Aeolus to answer.

‘Well, I can tell you, but only with an oath that you won’t spread the word. I leave the choice up to you,’ Aeolus said, a glimmer of humour in his eye as he continued to eat.

Rhys glanced at the others, judging their expressions before nodding to Aeolus, ‘very well, we swear not to spread word of what you’re here mining.’

‘Excellent. In that case, we’re here because a small expedition from Kraus and Sons found a source of rock salt. Quite a large one at that.’ Aeolus took a bite of his food, disregarding the stunned expressions on his guest’s faces.

‘I can certainly understand why you’re settling in here,’ Oliver said with a shake of his head and a grimace. ‘To think we even brought dried herbs to trade to season your rations.’

‘Well, we will still be open to such a trade. There’s a limit to how much salt I will authorise for our own food, and some variation is nice for the crew. Of course, you’re welcome to buy some at a good rate as well.’

Rhys chewed thoughtfully on his food, considering Aeolus’s offer. Salt was a valuable commodity, prized by any spire for both seasoning and preserving food. It wasn’t a rare mineral, but it wasn’t common either, so a large find would net the Daedalus quite the sum. He wouldn’t even be surprised if Aeolus intended to fill the Daedalus to the brim with salt before leaving.

The potential number of sovereigns that Aeolus would make from this was staggering. Rhys tried to work it out in rough numbers but could only shake his head in disbelief. If there was as much here as he was thinking, then this was the kind of job that set a captain up for retirement.

‘I think it’s safe to say that Oliver will be eager to do some trading,’ Rhys said, a hint of a crooked smile on his face as he looked over to his eager cargomaster, who nodded enthusiastically.

‘Well, I’m sure we can arrange something. I’ll send one of my men over tomorrow to look over what you have and negotiate a good price. You can either trade straight for salt or sovereigns. Given the situation, I’ll make sure you’re given a good rate as well.’

‘Thank you, Captain,’ Rhys said, giving Aeolus a genuine smile. He knew that the other captain wasn’t required to do half of what he’d done. He could have simply demanded they not leave. With the weapons on the Daedalus, Aeolus had no need for subtle diplomacy with a smaller ship like the Endeavour.

‘Not a problem, I remember what it was like to be early on in my career. Besides, we’ve been here longer than I expected, so those supplies you brought were especially helpful.’

With the small amount of business talk concluded, they set about finishing off the meal in front of them. Aeolus’s chef provided a selection of fruits for their desert, making Rhys feel a little decadent. He might have to increase Tom’s budget for food supplies at this rate.

That thought was only compounded when a few non-nondescript bottles made their way to the table. Aeolus explained that the blackberries they were eating were also used to make the wine provided, both of which were a big hit with Tom.

With no need to rush away, they lingered at the table with Aeolus, making steady inroads into the half-dozen bottles of wine that he’d provided.